


Keep You Warm

by thereyoflight



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dorks in Love, Established Relationship, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), HEA Foreshadowing, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Light Angst, Longing, One Shot, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Romantic Fluff, Soft Ben Solo, Space Idiots In Love, The Rise of Skywalker Never Happened, rey needs a nap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25672969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thereyoflight/pseuds/thereyoflight
Summary: Rey is shivering when she falls asleep in the Falcon’s pilot seat. The force bond connects. Post-TLJ.Based on a tweet by @galacticidiots
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 30
Kudos: 355
Collections: Galactic Idiots Collection





	Keep You Warm

**Author's Note:**

> Let’s just pretend TROS never happened, okay?
> 
> This one-shot is based on a tweet by @galacticidiots that can be found [here](https://twitter.com/galacticidiots/status/1289595273262620673?s=20) so full credit to them for this idea!

Rey was shivering, but she needed to run through her final touches on the Falcon before she went to sleep for the night. It didn’t help that her body felt heavy with exhaustion or that her eyes were drooping dangerously. She knew she would get lost in the motions and be fast asleep in the Falcon’s cot in no time. The cockpit was lit brightly to meet her, and she narrowed her eyes against the glare. She dimmed the lights for the night with an amble switch and went about the rest, before collapsing into the pilot’s seat for a moment of peace.

She stared out into the planet she was on with the Resistance, rich with lush greenery and tall trees and rain—so much rain. She never grew tired of seeing so much green around her, not after all her years on Jakku, and rain always felt like a blessing. And somewhat of a promise, a reminder of the bright future that was ahead of her, perhaps with Ben.

 _Undeniably with Ben_ , she corrected, and her heart ached at the thought. 

Ever since the throne room, Ben seemed so far away. They had connected several times over the weeks, but they refused to ever look or speak to each other. It pained them both, she knew, but they were both heartbroken over what the other couldn’t do. She had wanted to bring him back desperately, and he had begged her to join him. They were asking things of each other that they couldn’t do, and it tore them apart. She only hoped that someday, soon, they could finally be together. 

Rey fell asleep that way—curled up in the pilot’s seat, shivering, with Ben Solo bright in her mind. 

+

Ben felt her before he saw her.

Just moments before every connection, Ben could sense Rey hurtling towards him through the Force as it connects them. She was as bright as the most blazing suns, full of a brilliance that can light up all his nights. He didn’t know if it would ever stop hurting to see her again after everything, but each ache at the sight of her is worth it just to glimpse her one more time. 

He clenched his jaw, preparing himself for another argument he didn't want to have, and turned toward her. He relaxed immediately at the sight of her. She was curled in a pilot’s seat, asleep as if it was the most comfortable place in the whole galaxy, and Ben’s breath hitched. Her hair was different, billowed out over her shoulders and free from any restraints. She was dressed simply with a loose-fitting shirt and olive green trousers, her feet bare. The ease on her face ached him to see—especially after the way he’d made her cry when she realized he wasn’t going back with her the last time they’d seen each other. 

There was a gentle snore escaping her that he found himself smiling at, but it hurt more than anything. He wanted to be able to sleep and wake up next to her for the rest of his days, to feel the warm press of someone he adored beside him. Even if he had to hear her snoring keeping him awake forever, there was nothing he wanted more. 

Ben realized she was shivering, and he didn’t hesitate to respond. He opened a compartment in his chambers, filled to the brim with more blankets than he could ever need, and pulled out his favorite blanket. It was a soft, white duvet that had kept him warm on his coldest, darkest nights that had nothing to do with the temperature. It pained him slightly to part with it, and he nearly laughed that the Supreme Leader of the First Order was concerned over a blanket, of all things—the same Supreme Leader who also happened to be completely smitten by a sleeping scavenger, no less—but if he was going to part with it, he was happy it was for the sake of keeping her warm. 

He sat beside her again and gently placed it around her. His thumb grazed her chin for the briefest moment, and a jolt shocked through him at the touch of his skin against hers. He didn’t think he’d ever grow accustomed to the way he reacted to her, though he couldn’t say he minded. He pulled a lone strand of hair away from her face, his fingertips trailing across her cheek. 

Rey stirred ever so slightly at his touch, but didn’t wake. He wondered what she had done that day that had gotten her so exhausted. He wished he could hear it all from her—the little things in her day, the training, the conversations—with the bright smile that would accompany them. They weren’t friends, he knew that, not after what had happened, not after what he’d _done_. But he still couldn’t help his longing. 

His stomach turned over with his guilt. It had haunted him since. If he had just said things differently, would it have changed anything? If he had just gotten over himself for once, to allow himself to feel everything that he did for her, would he have been able to go with her? It was pointless to ask such things when it was behind him, but he couldn’t escape how much he regretted his decision the same day he’d made it. 

He’d never forget what it felt like to kneel down in the Resistance base on Crait, his father’s dice in his hand, and to look up and see her—Rey. The look in her eyes, determined and lined with sorrow, was enough to make him regret everything. Her closing the Falcon door on him nearly broke him in two. 

Now, looking at her fast asleep across a galaxy, he only hoped that there was a future ahead of them where they could finally be together. 

“I’m sorry, Rey,” he found himself whispering into the dark. “I hope one day you can come to forgive me.”

Ben’s hand lingered across her cheek, and as he felt their connection slipping away, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. 

And then she was gone. 

+

Rey awoke slowly, then all at once. She had glimpsed the vague image of waterfalls, stretches of wildflowers, and the soft press of Ben’s lips against hers behind her eyelids. She had felt the familiar press of him near her, even in her little sanctuary of a dream, and it had pressed her closer and closer to consciousness once again. 

She realized that there was a blanket around her. She already knew where it had come from, and her heart warmed. It smelled like him, like pine and snow. She hugged it closer around herself, as if it were a new treasured object she’d found on Jakku in her younger years. In a way, it was—it was the miraculous reminder of a love discovered in the midst of her loneliness. Rey wrapped it protectively around herself and stood, carrying her tired body towards the Falcon’s cot. 

When she laid down in the cot, surrounded by the safe expanse of Ben’s blanket, Rey was incredibly aware of the warm press on her forehead where she knew he had kissed her. 

As they both fell asleep, across a galaxy, they dreamed of each other. Of love found. Of hope reignited. Of a new home waiting for them beyond the war ahead. It was all they needed that night, and it was all they’d ever need forevermore. 


End file.
